Five more minutes till the clock strikes twelve. Five more minutes to the start of the preliminary event, whatever that may be.
"So, Light magic? What can you do with it?"
"Blind your goddamn eyes out, for one," I replied while lying on a nearby couch, impatiently waiting for the damn thing to start so that I can finish it as soon as possible. Why must the organisers conduct the preliminaries at midnight of all timings they could possibly set?
"Don't worry, Argus is good," Mirajane added with one of her usual smiles, "maybe even better than you, Gajeel."
"Gihihi, those are some big words, barmaid."
"Doesn't matter as long as he can pull his own weight. Like Gramps said, if even Jellal vouched for his strength, then his skill is the real deal," Laxus finally spoke, arms crossed in front of his chest with a bored look. "Well, I'm game for anything as long as we can beat Team A."
"Loser have to do whatever the winning team wants for a day, right?"
"Gonna be fun, since it's Natsu and co on the other team," Laxus smirked.
"I heard this year's game is a huge deal since heavyweights like Jura, Ichiya, and Lyon are participating, and here I thought all I had to do was to be a cheerleader for these seven days," I sighed. I just hope that my luck would not be bad enough to encounter any of those aforementioned mages during the games, because while they don't look like much back in canon, that was canon where everything was purposely toned to be dumber for comedic effect, where the events were supposed to be fiction. Here, their skills here are the real deal, because this is now reality.
Pretty sure some of the guilds who recently rose to power in these few years have powerful mages in their ranks too. Mermaid Heel's Kagura and Quatro Cerberus' Bacchus are definitely threats to look out for as well.
"You have no ambition in life, do you?"
"Ambition? That never helped me."
'True, because all you needed was me.'
'Careful there, you are starting to sound like an overly clingy girlfriend.'
The clock struck twelve and Mato's hologram image appeared to announce the start of the preliminaries. I was impressed at the level and complexity of magic involved in moving our lodgings to accommodate the appearance of the labyrinth that suddenly appeared in midair. The Sky Labyrinth, that was what Mato referred it as.
"Let's go," Laxus spoke as he stood up and swung his fur coat over his shoulders, walking towards the path that was magically created to appear before us to lead us to the Sky Labyrinth above. No more words needed to be said as we followed after him and ran up the stairs, eager to get this over with.
The faster we finish this, the faster we can all go back to sleep.
If I thought Mirajane's skill as a mage was terrifying enough, apparently, I hadn't seen anything people the likes of Laxus could pull off. Power, speed, wits, he has it all in spades. Gajeel and Juvia weren't weak either, and even I would encounter difficulties if I had to fight them for real without tapping into any forbidden power. The combination of Laxus, Mirajane, Gajeel, and Juvia was a really terrifying force to behold and I started to wonder if there was really a need for Fairy Tail to send in two teams if just this team alone could sweep through the competition.
I mean, they still have two more S Class mages, don't they? Erza and Gildarts? I shudder to even imagine the kind of firepower this team might wield if any of those two replaced my spot in Team B.
"You better start pulling your damn weight, pipsqueak!"
"Dude, has your brain rusted? What do you think you are floating on right now?"
In a way, this damn labyrinth was designed much like a rubik's cube, in the sense that it would randomly turn and rotate itself every now and then to keep you on your toes and to also make it harder for you to navigate and locate the end point. If you are unlucky enough, you might also fall off the labyrinth from its sudden rotation which will result in your disqualification.
I'm able to create solid constructs made of light, so this problem was easily solved because I can create footholds in midair for our usage.
The labyrinth shifted once more, attempting to drop us back down below but a flight of stairs made of light appeared with the flick of my fingers and we simply climbed it to get closer to the endpoint. Mirajane had been helping to map out the area by collecting any maps we pillaged from the teams that were unlucky enough to cross our paths, and she's certain that this direction was the right one to make.
"You know, I've been wondering," I spoke to nobody in particular as we finally reached a section of the labyrinth where we would not be in the risk of being dropped down anytime soon. "Would it be quicker to simply blast a path out for ourselves instead of navigating through these walls? I don't remember the rules forbidding us from doing something like that."
Surprisingly, the team took a collective pause and actually took time to think about my words.
"You… might have a point there," Laxus conceded before turning to look at everyone else. "You guys remembered if the pumpkin head said anything about that when he was explaining the rules?"
The consensus received was a no.
"So… are we doing it?"
"Gihihihi, why not?" Gajeel voiced his agreement with a deranged grin and I could feel the powerful build up of magic within him. "Hey Mira, you said it was this way, yea?"
"It is," Mirajane replied with a nod, "the end point shouldn't be too far away from here."
"Then that settles it," Laxus made the final call as he too, began to build a huge surge of magic to be unleashed in a moment's notice. Mirajane and Juvia seemed to be all too happy to step aside and let them do the heavy lifting. To be fair, just the two Dragon Slayers alone should be enough to create enough destruction to carve a shortcut out for us.
The two Dragon Slayers took a deep breath in preparation for unleashing their signature technique.
"Iron…"
"Lightning…"
"Dragon's Roar!"
The resulting magic that manifested was beautiful, mesmerising, glorious even, in a way that such levels of destruction are definitely rare to come by and could only be seen performed by mages who are S Class, or on the cusp of reaching S Class. I could do something similar too, but it honestly takes too much effort and I'm usually too lazy to commit myself into something so troublesome.
We ran ahead on the path that we created for ourselves and we could already see the end point in sight. The pumpkin head Mato was obviously terrified at how the walls near him were suddenly being blasted open, only to be subsequently greeted by the sight of five very determined mages running at him at full speed. It was a very funny thought in retrospect, and I would bet my precious hooded cloak that Gajeel's menacing visage was the main reason for Mato's fright.
"Shit, we are not alone."
I looked to where Laxus was looking at and I saw what he saw. I'm not sure if I should call it a coincidence or if I should call it bad timing, but there was another team also running towards the end point at full throttle. Coincidentally, I knew them, and I have a bone or two to pick with them and now was as good a time as any to get my petty revenge.
"I will delay them, go!"
I vanished in a ray of light, trusting that the rest of them would do what was needed to reach the pumpkin guy in the shortest time possible. Laxus had already charged ahead in a bolt of lightning, Juvia in a torrent of water, Mirajane was sporting wings out of her back to fly and even Gajeel was using his magic in creative manners to quickly close the remaining distance.
As for me, concepts such as physical distance are but mere inconveniences because nothing is faster than the speed of light. I am the best man for the job in delaying our competitors.
"You again!"
I did not bother making a verbal reply to whatever Sting greeted me with, and instead chose to convey my hello with a kick to his jaw the moment I got close. Rogue tried to grab me, but I am a ray of light that could bend and travel to anywhere I want to because light is omnipotent and there's nowhere that light cannot go.
"Holy Hammer!"
My spell hit the group from above and I saw Rufus conjuring one of his annoying spells to protect the group from harm. My spell wouldn't even land a scratch on them, but this was enough. I had created enough force behind that attack to send them crashing down into the floor below us. For mages of their calibre, that would only serve to inconvenience them for a few seconds but those few seconds were all I needed.
I simply had to blink back to the end point within those few seconds as a ray of light, and Mato registered our team's completion of the preliminaries the moment I joined everyone else because the rules stated that all five members of the team have to reach the end point for their victory to be recognised.
"We made it to the top eight, right?" I asked the moment I joined my team at the other end of the finishing line.
"Sure did, pipsqueak. Gihihihi, I like what you did there! Guess what? We are number one!"
"Seriously?" I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that and turned to look at Laxus and Mirajane for confirmation, who simply nodded their heads at me with a pleased smile on their faces as well. This is new, because Fairy Tail had traditionally ended up as the dead last whenever they participated in the games, or at least that was what Macao told me.
"If you hadn't suggested creating a path by destroying those walls, we would most likely have ended up in second place. Good thinking there," Juvia praised me in an encouraging manner and I simply took it. Team Sabertooth joined us at the end point at that moment too.
From the looks of it, Sting wasn't very happy with me.
"You-!"
I did the mature thing and replied to him by flipping him the middle finger. Sting took another step forward with a growl emitted from his throat, his body starting to turn whiter from the effects of his magic. He's pissed, rightfully so, but that's what he's going to get from the kind of shit their guild got me into previously. I'm not a saint. I can be, and will be unbelievably petty when I feel like it.
"You might want to step down, brat."
I was more than ready to exchange blows with the annoying White Dragon Slayer but surprisingly, Laxus was the one to stand up for me. He took a step forward, placing himself in between me and Sting. I have no idea if it was Laxus' imposing presence or the sheer pressure his magic exuded, maybe it was both, but just a glare from him was enough for Sting to take a pause in his steps.
"If you want to fight, do it during the games, Fairy Tail will accept your challenge then. Until then, behave yourselves."
I won't lie, it feels good to have people actually standing up for you for once and putting punks like Sting in place. My opinion and respect for Laxus had shot up for whatever he just did for me.
"You had beef with those guys?" Laxus asked me after we left the place and went our separate ways from Team Sabertooth.
"We go way back. It's a long story, but I supposed that technically speaking, they were one reason why I decided to join Fairy Tail."
"Really?" Juvia asked, and I nodded.
"The story went something like this. I happened to bump into Orga, you know, the big oaf you saw back there…"
"In second place… SABERTOOTH!"
"Gihihihihi! I wonder what the crowd would think if they found out that Fairy Tail got first place in the preliminaries! Just look! Look at all the shocked faces of the crowd! And look at the piss poor faces of the Sabertooth sods for ending up in second place! Gihihihi!"
The first round of the Grand Magic Games officially started at noon the very next day. I guessed my performance back in the preliminaries had gotten myself in Gajeel's good books, seeing as how he's acting so much more chummy with me now, an arm slung around my shoulders like we were best bros all along as he pointed to the scene outside. It's like he said, the looks of most of the Sabertooth's mages were murderous when they had to make their appearance upon the emcee's introduction as the team who got second place.
Sabertooth had traditionally been in the top spot for any kind of competition within the GMG, that was what they were known for. For them to be dethroned of their "rightful" position would be a shocker for anyone and everyone, especially when all of the other notable guilds that the public knew of had already made their appearance before Sabertooth. To them, that would mean that a dark horse had taken the top spot this year and nobody had a clue on who they might be.
Honestly speaking? It felt good to be able to throw a wrench in Sabertooth's plans.
"Now, for the final team! This IS a shocker! I had never seen this coming! Will they be the key to restoring the fallen wings to the skies? Will they climb back up to the top as they did seven years ago?! Ladies and gentlemen! Introducing the team taking first place in the preliminary round! FAIRY TAIL TEAM B!"
Confettis were showered upon us as we walked out into the light to announce our appearance. The cheers we got weren't as loud as the ones Sabertooth received, but that's fine. The crowd was probably still confused as to how and why we ended up in the first place instead. What truly mattered was that we clinched the top spot and that the people who mattered, the rest of the guild who were watching from the stands, were cheering us on at the top of their lungs.
The emcees carried on with their job of hyping the crowd, explaining that the rules this year allowed the participating guilds to send in a maximum of two teams if they wished to. I didn't really bother listening to all the pointless explanations because something else caught my attention almost immediately.
"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"
The loud brash guy with a scarf and salmon pink hair could only be Natsu Dragneel. He immediately yammered on and on about how he doesn't care if we were from the same guild because if we are on different teams, then we are enemies as far as he was concerned for the sake of the games. Gajeel did a good job of reminding him of Team A's position as eighth place, which shut the Fire Dragon Slayer up fairly quickly.
"And he's…"
Erza's wary gaze was focused on me, prompting her teammates to do the same. I guess the fact that my entire face was hidden by the shadow of the hood of my cloak wasn't helping things either.
"Oh, you guys haven't met him before. This is Argus!"
"You are that Argus?"
"I don't see any other Argus here," I shrugged in response to Gray's question.
"Oh, so he's the new guy! Argoo!"
"It's Argus," I snapped back at Natsu after he successfully managed to get my name wrong, but our conversation was promptly interrupted when the emcees began explaining how this year's game would work. There's contests, and there's also battles, and each of those would earn our respective teams points based on our performance. The accumulated points would determine the placing we will achieve on the very last day of the games.
The opening contest was being announced and the only clue they gave was that the name of the contest was called "Hidden". Everyone present had come to the same conclusion about the nature of this contest from its name alone, that anybody with stealth related capabilities would excel here. Objectively speaking, I would be the best candidate for the job as my magic would be the best fit for this situation. However, Juvia was adamant on joining after seeing her beloved Gray taking part in this event, so we let her be.
The end result was that Team B only got 1 point, because Juvia was too busy fawning over her beloved Gray to actually put in any real work to help win this event. It's still better than Team A, who scored zero points, but it's a fact that both of Fairy Tail's teams are currently at the bottom rung of the rankings. I don't particularly care about the results, but Gajeel had a competitive streak to him and he wasn't very pleased.
What really got us enraged was the fight between Raven Tail and Fairy Tail A, where Lucy was sent out as their representative. Raven Tail won, but because they played dirty. I have no idea if this outcome was a canon event, but it was at moments like this that I really wished I could remember what actually happened in canon, because if I did, maybe I could have helped prevent such things from happening. Even as Natsu helped Lucy off the arena I could tell that Lucy was still beating herself over her loss and seeing her cry for something that was not of her fault was just…. maddening.
'I thought you didn't care about the results of the games?'
'I don't.'
'I know a lie when I spot one. You are too attached to those fools, you have changed.'
'What are you going to say next? That you are disappointed in me?'
'Hmph.'
Our mood was most definitely spoiled by the foul play on Raven Tail's end, but we still watched the remaining battles and took this chance to observe our competitors. Ren Akatsuki from Blue Pegasus was skilled, but posed no real threat. The same goes for his opponent Arana Webb from Mermaid Heel. Warcry of Quatro Cerberus used a very interesting form of magic, but he never even got five seconds of showtime because Orga took him out in just a single hit.
In that case, Warcry probably wasn't a very powerful mage, although I think I might have remembered him making an appearance in last year's games and I recalled that he did just fine back then.
"It's our turn next. Who do you think will get called to fight?" Mirajane asked me just as the emcee announced the next battle between Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail Team B.
"Who cares? As long as it's not me-"
The emcee announced which one of us got the short end of the draw just at that very moment.
"From Fairy Tail B we have… ARGUS! Versuuuuus, Lamia Scale's JURA NEEKIS!"
It was at that moment that I knew, that the world simply hates me.
"GIHIHIHIHIHI! Try not to lose too badly, pipsqueak!"
The crowd were all cheering for Jura and understandably so. He's Lamia Scale's Ace, ranking fifth in the current ranks of the Ten Wizard Saints, just below the Four Gods of Ishgar. As far as the public were concerned, he's undefeatable, because there were no known mages participating in the games this year who boasts the same skill and power he possessed.
I'm sure that everyone in this arena would harbour the same thought, that I'm well and truly fucked and this match would end in my loss even before it began. Even the emcee had insinuated it with whatever he said next.
"In this corner, we have the mysterious hooded wizard Argus, where even in his own guild, very few had claimed to see his face! And in this corner, we have one of the event's favourites for MVP, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Jura Neekis!"
"This is not our day," Laxus made a very good summary of today's events. He didn't look too bothered at our luck of the draw, as if already knowing the outcome of this match.
"To think he'd be pitted against Jura," Mirajane's words had the same meaning as Laxus', and she tried her best to reassure me with an encouraging smile.
"Is baldy that powerful?" Gajeel asked, and Mirajane simply answered that even if she and Erza teamed up, they still would not be able to beat him. I had a very good guess as to Jura's level of strength from those words alone.
"Argus is Fairy Tail's Ace, and Jura is Lamia Scale's Ace! This is the battle between Aces of what was the two strongest guilds seven years ago!"
I really want to shut that damn emcee up now. I was only Fairy Tail's Ace because they didn't have anybody else to fill that position until the Tenrou Group returned. I am no longer their Ace, but the public may not necessarily think so. If I lose here, it would look very bad on Fairy Tail because Fairy Tail's Ace just lost to Lamia Scale's Ace. By default, to the public, they would simply think that Lamia Scale is stronger than Fairy Tail, which is obviously inaccurate because I knew very well that the average strength of each of Fairy Tail's mages far outstrips those of Lamia Scale's. The outcome of this match is in a way, very important, as it would directly affect the public's perception of our guild's might and subsequently, our guild's reputation.
But the thing is, I am not Fairy Tail's Ace. Not since the Tenrou Group returned. The emcee was purposely misinforming the public for the sole sake of hyping the upcoming match and it made me want to strangle him.
However, more than anything, I was simply annoyed. I'm annoyed at everything, how I somehow found myself participating in this game when all I originally planned to do was to be a cheerleader so that I could slack around and not get involved, how everyone simply assumed that the outcome of this match wouldn't be in our favour simply because the opponent this time is Jura Neekis. They had simply written me off because of that and it annoyed me to no end for some unexplainable reason.
"Maybe he could try lasting for the full duration of thirty minutes to end it in a draw…"
"Oh cry me a river."
My words and the tone of my voice had shocked my fellow Team B mages and I knew it, but I just cannot bring myself to care. I am annoyed, angry, frustrated, and I don't even know who or what these feelings were directed to and for what reasons I am feeling that way.
"You guys ain't seen anything I could do, so don't you guys dare write me off just like that. Wizard Saint? Pfft, I've seen and survived worse in Alvarez and that was years ago. Fiore is just too goddamn peaceful if you idiots think a Wizard Saint is the pinnacle of a mage's capabilities."
I turned around and left, disappearing in a ray of light before reappearing down below in the arena. Jura had already made his way there, waiting for me. I subconsciously pulled down on my hood to cover my face even when I knew that it was already very well hidden at all times.
I had said some big words back there, but that did not change the fact that this is a Wizard Saint that I will be up against. Still, this is not the end of the world, because even if my power is unable to best him, I still have his. We are different entities but at the same time, one and the same. If I really wanted to, I could tap into his power. Even if I choose not to tap into his power, I have many other forbidden magics and spells up my sleeve that are the culmination of my village's fruits of research on Light magic over the long course of its history. Of course, there will be a price to pay for using either of the above mentioned options. Nothing in this world is ever for free.
It's just a matter if this match is worth the price to do so.
'He's strong for a mortal, to the point that I wish to kill him.'
'And here I thought Gods were supposed to be benevolent.'
'Whoever said that had obviously never met me before.'
"Personally, I would love to see Fairy Tail do well in this competition, but my master would throw a fit," Jura initiated the conversation between us and I could feel him building up magic within him as he did so. He's serious.
"My apologies to Fairy Tail, but I won't be holding back."
"And neither will I."
There's a lot of words I could have used to make a comeback, but in the end I settled for something easier to understand to convey my stance on this matter. Wizard Saint or not, I don't plan on losing. Things like rank and title means jack shit on the battlefield and the only thing that mattered in any battle is the outcome. I had never lost before, because doing so would mean certain death, and I don't plan on breaking my winning streak anytime soon.
The match was called to begin, and we made our move.
I don't care about the GMG, but I possess the power of a God, and it would be a damn disgrace if I were to lose to a mere mortal. In that case, there's only one acceptable outcome for this match.
I will bring victory to Fairy Tail.
